Pura Vida en Costa Rica!

Costa Rica! Pura Vida. That’s the saying or the motto of the country.

It had been a while since my husband and I traveled out of the country and I figured we were due for a trip. We hadn’t traveled internationally since our honeymoon. So I proposed that we both picked a country that we wanted to go to. I chose Costa Rica.

‍

Why I Chose To Visit Costa Rica

I chose to visit Costa Rica for many reasons. First of all, I was interested in visiting a potential future home. After George Floyd, there was a lot of discussion online, and on YouTube, amongst black women who were interested in leaving the United States, and going somewhere that was more beneficial for our well-being and the well-being of our (future) children. I had lived abroad for a year during graduate school, so I had experience living outside the United States. Despite all the racism in France, I as an American was able to experience an improved quality of life in Europe, compared to the United States.

So when my time came to an end, and it was time to return to United States, I really questioned whether or not the United States was worth returning to. My sole reason for coming back was my family. Otherwise I would’ve gladly stayed abroad, and maybe certainly another country in Europe to live in.

Anyway at the time of 2020 just after George Floyd, I was learning about other black women, black families and individuals who moved to Costa Rica and were experiencing a better quality of life. Their medical care was more affordable. They were learning a new language and they didn’t have to experience the day-to-day of systemic racism. Also, their children were getting a more global and cultural experience. The weather is beautiful. The environment is great. So I made it my mission to visit Costa Rica and check it out for myself.

‍

Sustainable Luxury Glamping in Costa Rica

‍

‍

I am eco-friendly and my husband surprisingly has a tree hugger side to himself and we are very much interested in the preservation of the earth. So I opted for a luxury glamping experience in Costa Rica. This was a unique stay. It’s called “Cerquita del Cielo”, which means “close to heaven”. The site is remote with an amazing view of the mountains and valleys and a rainforest nearby. You sleep in a glass dome at night so you’re able to sleep right underneath the stars. It was really cool. I wanted a remote experience and to disconnect and I got just that.

The drive there was bumpy. The road is unpaved on the final 15 to 20 minutes of the travel there. But it is truly amazing. The site itself has solar panels to provide electricity. It also has running water from a local river. It has a bathroom, a shower and it even has a hot tub. It was truly amazing and romantic.

‍

‍

Another amazing feature of this site is that they grow their own coffee beans! I am a true coffee lover, so the coffee farm on the property was definitely the main appeal for me. I thought this would be very different and more interesting than visiting the Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica. I was able to learn how to grow and harvest coffee beans, and some of the issues they are dealing with such as pesticides and diseases of the bean. It was really interesting.

‍

‍

‍

‍

We were also able to hike and visit a few waterfalls on the property. It was amazing and beautiful. Tradition says that for good luck we have to go underneath for a dip, which we were able to do. The water was cold but it was very much worth it.

‍

Another cool thing that we were able to do was visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park and Wildlife Refuge. For my reality tv heads: it’s the same one that Monique Samuels from RHOA and LAMDC visited on IG with the butterflies! We were able to see all of the different animals that live in Costa Rica. We were able to see toucans, sloths, butterflies and learn about their lifecycle. We were able to see jungle cats, monkeys, and hummingbirds.

‍

‍

‍

‍

Every single type of wildlife and biodiversity you can think of exists in this beautiful country. The country itself is unique, and that it offers everything a ton of biodiversity and geographical diversity from beaches to volcanoes to Hot Springs to rainforest.

‍

‍

‍

‍

I want to talk about the people of Costa Rica. They are extremely nice. I’m not sure if a lot of them speak English. Because of our remote stay, we were not able to interact with a ton of them but a lot of their ways reminded me of the Haitian people that I grew up with. I did learn from one person that she chose to live in Costa Rica because it was affordable and quality of life was top-tier. Our Airbnb host was the best! He made sure we had everything that we needed and went over and beyond to give us the experience we needed.

‍

During our final day, we were able to visit the wind farms near the property. One thing that I love about Costa Rica is that it seems that they have gone to great extent to keep the country, natural and beautiful. They are closer to nature than we are in the states and their eco-tourism is definitely one worth experiencing and visiting.

‍

Overall, the people were really amazing. The food was really good. I had a fish sandwich for lunch along with red beans and rice, eggs, fresh fruit and coffee each morning. I also like to try their local drinks. I had fruit juice and an Imperial beer, a pale lager.

‍

There was nothing that I would complain about. For days was not enough time. I wish that I could’ve stayed much longer to visit some of the volcanoes and beaches, but I am very happy with the experience that I had in the country.

‍